Surgical stone crusher



July 16, 1940.

J. E. HELD 2,208,369

SURGICAL STONE CRUSHER Original Filed April 25, 1936 Patented July 16, '1940 UNITED STATES SURGICAL STONE GRUSHER Joseph E. Held, Woodside, Long Island, N. Y., assignor to American Cystoscope Makers, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Original application April 25, 1936, Serial No. 76,331. Divided and this application February 12, 1938, Serial No. 190,189

4 Claims.

My present invention relates generally to surgical instruments, and has particular reference to the type of instrument in which a movable element is mounted for reciprocatory movement 5 relative to a stationary part, as in the case of a surgical stone crusher.

This application is a division of my copending application for patent, filed April 25, 1936, Serial Number 76,331, now Patent No. 2,146,954.

A general object of the invention is to provide an improved means for effecting the reciprocating movements of the movable part of the instrument which, in the case of a surgical stone crusher, comprises a movable jaw.

15 In carrying out my invention, I resort to the use of a pair of scissors-handles which are adapted to be grasped by the surgeon in the same way as he would grasp an ordinary pair of scissors. In accordance with my invention, one of go the scissors-handles is fixedly associated with the stationary part of the instrument, 1. e., with the fixed jaws; the other scissors handle being provided with a gear segment which engages with a rack mounted on the movable jaw.

One of the features of my invention lies in providing an indicating device which is associated with the scissors-handles and which is adapted to indicate the extent of relative reciprocatory movement of the'jaws.

0 A further feature of my invention lies in the provision of a conduit which may be used simultaneously as an irrigation conduit and as a tube for accommodating a telescope. of the conduit may, if desired, be entirely sealed 35 when the telescope is removed, so that the conduit may be used exclusively for irrigation purposes. On the other hand, the conduit'is oversized with respect to the telescope which it accommodates, so that, if desired, it may be used for irrigation purposes even while the telescope is in position. I

I achieve the foregoing objects, and such other objects as may hereinafter appear or be pointed out, in the: manner illustratively exemplified in 45 the accompanying drawing, wherein- Figure 1 is a top view of a surgical stone crusher, showing the manner in which my invention is applied thereto, and being broken away for the sake of compactness;

Figure 2 is a side view of the instrument of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary elevational view of the rear portion of the instrument of Figure 2, shown from the opposite side;

a Figure 4 is an enlargedcrcss-sectional view The rear end taken substantially along the line 4--4 of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 5-5 of Figure 2.

In accordance with my invention, a pair of complementary scissors-handles 40 and 4| are pivoted together at the pivot axis 42. one of the handles is relatively fixed, while the other is movable; and in the illustrated embodiment it is the handle 4| which is movable between the full-line and the dot-and-dash line positions of Figure 2.

The fixed handle 4|) is rigidly secured to a block 43 forming a portion of the relatively stationary part of the instrument. jecting forwardly from the block 43 is a fixed stem 41 which carries a fixed transverse crushing jaw 48 at its forward end.

For a purpose presently to be described, a

gear segment 44 is mounted on the upper portion 20..-

of the movable scissors-handle 4|. The center of curvature of the gear segment coincides with the pivot axis 42. The block 43 is provided with a a slot or channel which freely accommodates the gear segment 44.

Movably associated with the relatively fixed stem 41 is a movable stem 49 constituting the movable part of the instrument. At its forward end it rigidly carries the complementary transverse crushing jaw 50; and at its rear end it carries the rack 5| which meshes with the gear segment 44. In this way, movement of the scissors-handle 4| from the dot-and-dash position of Figure 2 to the full-line position effects an advancement of the movable stem 49 and of the jaw 50 from the dotand-dash position of I Figure 2 to the fully closed position.

The block'43 is provided with at least one irrigation outlet or petcock, and I have illustratively shown the preferred construction in which an outlet extends upwardly, while a somewhat larger outlet 46 extends laterally.

The block 43 is also provided with the fixed indicator plate or dial 52, while the 'movable handle 4| carries the pointer 53 which is adapted to move over the plate 52. The position of the pointer 53 on the scale 52 indicates to the oper-' ator the relative position of the movable crushing jaw. For example, with the parts in the fullline position of Figure 2, the two jaws '48 and 5 0 are in fully closed relationship and the pointer 53 is, therefore, positioned over the designation Closed on the plate 52. As the movable jaw 531s withdrawn from the fixed jaw 48, by

virtue of the manipulation of the scissors- That is, prohandles, the pointer 53 moves over the dial 52. The'latter is preferably provided with markings arranged to indicate the distance between the jaws in millimeters, thus permitting the operator to determine the size of a stone before the crushing operation, and permitting him also to make sure that the jaws are infully-closedrelationship after the crushing procedure.

The main portion of the fixed stem 4'5 is provided with a longitudinal T slot, as shown most clearly in Figure 4, and the movable stem 49 is correspondingly shaped so that it is guided in its movement relative to the stem t'l Conjointly, the stems 47 and 49 constitute a single stem projecting forwardly from the rear portion of the instrument, a pair of complementary transverse crushing jaws beingmounted at the forward end of this conjoint stem.

A lateral portion of the fixed stem i! is 1101- lowed out to provide a conduit 54!, most clearly illustrated in Figure 1". This conduit communicates with an aligned bore extending through the block 43, and the conduit continues rearwardly of the block 43, as indicated in Figures 1 tion, having the usual eyepiece 59 at its rear end and provided with alamp'BO at its forward end, and with an objective'which commands a view of the operative range of the crushing jaws;

- When the telescope is fully inserted", a pintl.

carried thereby engages withinthe slot 62 in the: clamping device 55; and the; forward portion'of' the telescope protrudes by a slight amount from' the forwardopen end of the conduit E l. The pin- 6i assures a proper disposition of the telescope so that the objective will be facing in the correct" direction so'as to command the desiredview of the operative rangeof the jaws.

-The conduit 54 is slightly oversized with respect to the telescope tube,'so that the petcocks 45v and 455 may be used duringthe crushing procedure to irrigate the region of operation. When" a stone has been completely crushed,it is de-' sirable to permit the fragments to be flushed out of the body through as large a passageway as pos-,

the present invention pro-- sible. Accordingly, vides for the complete rearward'withdrawal of the. telescope so that the eonduit il l may be utilized to its fullest extent forrlushing purposes.- With this object in view, the valve device 56- is' provided, the'manipulation of' the plugelement 83, by swinging the handle 5'5 scope has been withdrawn When the petcocks lt'isbpened, allowing the fluid to drain and to carry with it"the particles of the stone that has been. crushed. This operation can'be .rev p eated as often as is necessary.

It will be understood that the amer in plug element 53 is Accordingly, a telescope tube 58 may into the dot-ande dash position of Figure 1,serving to plug and seal the rear end of the conduit 54 after the teleand 46 are usedfor irri gation, the petcock 46 is closedpand the irrigating fluid is introduced through thepetcock. 45. This petcock is then closed, and the petcock;

reciprocatory movement of pivoted scissors-handles one of which is rigid.-

provements involving the conduit 54, the irrigation outlets connected with it, and the valve device 56, are phases of the invention independent of the means whereby the movable jaw is reciprocated.

The characterizing improvements of the surgical stone crusher herein illustrated, as compared with instruments of more conventionaltype, re-

) side in the gear segment 44, the manner in which this gear segment cooperates with the rack 5|, and the construction and arrangement of parts whereby the jaws arethus under the accurate control of a pair of scissors-handles, while illuminated visibility of the jaws is maintained.

As a result of the gear segment 44, improved operation is achieved by virtue of the fact thatthe actuating force is always applied to the movable stem 39 at a point directly above the pivot axis 42 throughout the entire manipulation of the scissors-handles. Accordingly, a uniform and more controllable force may beapplied to the movable jaw throughout its entire operative stroke.

Moreover, it will be observed that both of the scissors-handles extend in a substantially transverse direction, thereby leaving the eyepiece of the telescope accessible at all times.

In general, it will be understood that changes in the detaila'herein described and illustrated for the purpose of explaining the nature of my invention, may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims. It is, therefore, intended that these details be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus describedmy invention, and illustrated its use, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a surgical stone crusher, relatively movable stems with complementary crushing jaws at their forward ends, a conduit paralleling said stems and having an openfront end adjacent to said jaws, a telescope removably insertable' into the conduit through the rear end thereof, at least one lateral irrigation outlet near said rearend', and a valve for sealing therear end of the conduit so that it may be used solely for irrigation purposes when the telescope is removed, said valve comprising a movable plug element having a bore adapted to align with and form part of said conduit when the telescope is inserted.

' 2. In a surgical instrument of the character described, a stationary-part, a toolmounted for reciprocatory movement relative thereto, a pair of pivoted scissors-handles one of which isrigidly secured to the stationary part of the'instrument, arack on said tool, a gear segment carried by the movable scissors-handle and meshing with said rack, and relatively movable indicators carried by the scissors-handles, respectively, for in.

dicating the extent of reciprocatory movement of the tool relative to the stationary part, one of said indicators being a dial carried by one of the scissors-handles,-the other indicator being carried by the other scissors-handle.

3. In a surgical instrument of the character described, a stationary partfa t'ool mounted for relative thereto, a pair ly secured to the stationary part of the instrument, a rack on said tool, a gear segment carried by the movable scissors-handle and meshingwith said rack, and relatively movable indi- Gators carried by'the scissors-handles, respectively, for indicating the extent of reciprocatory movement of the tool relative to the stationary part, one of said indicators being an arcuate dial carried by one of the scissors-handles, the other indicator being a pointer carried by the other scissors-handle.

4. In a surgical stone crusher, a fixed stem having a longitudinal bore laterally displaced from the longitudinal axis of said stem, said stem having a longitudinal guide slot formed in the unbored portion, a movable stem mounted in said slot for guided longitudinal movement relative to the fixed stem, complementary transverse crushing jaws rigidly arranged on the forward ends of said stems respectively, a telescope removably insertable into said bore through the rear end thereof, said bore having an open front end behind said jaws to allow the telescope to include said jaws within its field of vision, the cross-sectional area of said bore being greater than that of the telescope to permit the bore to serve as 7 an irrigation conduit, and a valve for sealing the rear end of the conduit when the telescope is removed, said valve comprising a movable plug element having a bore adapted to align with and form part of said conduit when the telescope is inserted.

JOSEPH. E. HELD. 

